Legendary Australian batter Don Bradman is one of the most revered figures in cricket and it came as no surprise when a memorabilia from his playing days fetched record price during auction.
Late great Bradman’s ‘Baggy Green’ cap worn during a series against India in 1947-48 was sold for Aus$460,000 ($320,000) at a Gold Coast auction.
Bradman, considered the greatest batter in the history of Test cricket, had gifted the cap to Indian cricketer Sriranga Sohoni, whose family preserved it for 75 years.
It was one of the most expensive cricket memorabilia auctioned. Below is the list of some of the most sought after cricket items.
Shane Warne’s Baggy Green
Legendary Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne raised Aus$1m ($700,000) in 2020 by auctioning his Australia cap to help with rebuilding efforts following a devastating bushfire .
The late leg-spinner wore the cap during a stellar career that garnered him 708 Test wickets and made him one of the greatest spinners in the history of the game.
The funds went to the Australian Red Cross to help with relief efforts following the bushfire crisis that ravaged Australia six years back and left many dead.
“Thank you so much to everyone that placed a bid and a huge thank you / congrats to the successful bidder,” Warne posted on X after the auction. “You have blown me away with your generosity and this was way beyond my expectations.”
Don Bradman’s first cap
Australian businessman Peter Freedman bough Bradman's first ever ‘Baggy Green’ for a then record amount of Aus$450,000 in 2020.
Interestingly, the winning bidder also paid a world-record $9m for a guitar used by Kurt Cobain.
After winning the auction. Freedman said he wanted to showcase the rare item to the public and not keep it locked away.
"Not only as one of our greatest talents on the sporting field and one of the most revered athletes of all time, but as an icon of Australian fortitude and resilience,” Freedman told Cricket Australia.
"All too often, memorabilia such as this ends up spending its life on the wall of some boardroom or in some basement bar of a well-heeled sports fanatic. I want as many people to enjoy it as possible.”
MS Dhoni's World Cup bat
It was one of the most coveted items in Indian cricket – the bat with which MS Dhoni hit the six in Mumbai which won India the 2011 ODI World Cup final against Sri Lanka.
The same year, the former India captain put his iconic bat up for auction to raise funds for a foundation run by his wife Sakshi, which works for the benefit of underprivileged children in India.
Dhoni’s bat fetched $160,000 during the auction in London. The legendary keeper said the purpose the charity was to improve “access to cricket by building a sports academy where children will be able to develop their talents across a whole range of disciplines”.
Tendulkar’s Ferrari
This is a peculiar one. Not a sports memorabilia in the strictest sense but one of the rarest items in the game.
Back in 2002, car company Fiat presented Sachin Tendulkar a Ferrari-360 Modena when he equalled Don Bradman’s tally of 29 Test centuries. Tendulkar was presented the Ferrari by F1 icon Michael Schumacher. Talk about starpower...
But that was not the end of a story. Controversy erupted over who would pay for the import duty, as that was more than the cost of the car. In the end, Fiat paid the import duty and Tendulkar got to keep the Ferrari.
Until 2011 when Tendulkar decided to sell the Ferrari to a businessman in Surat in western India, reportedly for 15 million rupees ($160,000).
Then a movie got made in which the plot revolves around stealing Tendulkar's Ferrari. The movie makers ended up hiring that same car for filming.
